Ty Lawson made unexpected waves this summer when he reposted a popular picture of Harden, the Houston Rockets star guard, as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator. The connection? Dallas’ defense, which was historically bad last season and got off to a slow start this season, was being run by one of the NBA’s most notoriously, shall we say, lax, defensive players.

The Nuggets already have 13 players on guaranteed deals, with Quincy Miller and Erick Green on partially guaranteed contracts. That means those two, along with training camp invites Marcus Williams and Joe Alexander (and possibly Gee, now) will be fighting for the final two spots. The team can carry 17 players on their roster in the preseason, but they must whittle it down to 15 before the start of the regular season.

Alonzo Gee is expected to be a #Nuggets training camp invite, along with Marcus Williams & Jerrelle Benimon

“Hopefully August,” Robinson told The Post. “I’m trying to sway the doctors to give me a little more leeway.”

Well, based on an Instagram video posted to his account Saturday, it seems he wasn’t messing around. Robinson, all 5 feet and 9 inches of him, is back to throwing down dunks, this one on his outdoor court at his home in Seattle.

“The deal is done but not done,” Windhorst said. “The teams have agreed, but they can’t say they have agreed and they can’t agree because we’re in this weird moratorium period, because you can’t Andrew Wiggins until the 23rd of this month.

“So, between now and then — which is what? 19 days? — could something happen? Could a team come in with a trade that maybe Minnesota doesn’t see? Yes, it could happen. Therefore, it is not done. But, essentially before the papers have been signed, there is a handshake agreement: Kevin Love to the Cavs, Andrew Wiggins to the Timberwolves, and I believe Thaddeus Young will end up in Minnesota, either as part of a separate deal or as part of a three-way deal. Possibly Anthony Bennett, who’s on the Cavs right now, could get re-routed to Philadelphia in part of a deal for Thaddeus Young, there will be draft picks involved.

“But essentially what you need to know if you’re an NBA fan: Kevin Love’s going to be on the Cavs barring anything unforeseen, and Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick, is going to be in Minnesota.” Read more…

Jim Gillen, center, the former athletic trainer for the Denver Nuggets since 1991, has been hired as associate athletic director of Metro State in Denver. In this April 16, 2014, file photo, Gillen stands between Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly, left, and president Josh Kroenke. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

“Jim will be a great addition to our staff,” Joan McDermott, the school’s director of athletics, said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of knowledge that will help with coordinating events at The Regency Athletic Complex at MSU Denver and enhance our athletic training staff and program.”

According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman, the Nuggets have dangled a three-year, $12 million offer to the free-agent sharpshooter, while the Cavs have offered him two years and $5.5. million — and the chance to rejoin LeBron James.

Miller won two titles with James in Miami before the Heat amnestied him last summer. He signed with Memphis as a free agent after recovering from multiple injuries (thumb, back, shoulder) and played in all 82 games while averaging 7.1 points per game and shooting 45.9 percent from three-point range.

Last Friday, Miller announced via Instagram that he would not be returning to the Grizzlies because they “are going in another direction.” That “direction” was Vince Carter, a 37-year-old veteran who signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the final season partially guaranteed.

According to multiple reports, Miller has also been pursued by the Rockets, who took a series of blows in free agency — Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik were both traded away for little to nothing in order to clear cap space for a star like Chris Bosh or Carmelo Anthony (who both stayed put), and Chandler Parsons was snagged by Dallas.

Goodman reported Sunday that either Houston or Dallas — whichever did not receive Parsons — would be in play for Miller, but the Nuggets were “the frontrunner” to get him. Read more…

The Manimal was spotted in Los Angeles and was grilled by TMZ Sports about his inability to go skiing (hey, we didn’t ask the questions), whether the Clippers would be a powerhouse if they signed LeBron James and whether the King should hold another two-hour “Decision” to announce where he’ll be playing in 2014-15.

After a night filled with trades and many unexpected moves — you know, the usual for the NBA draft — the Nuggets came away with 6-foot-11 Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic, Michigan State shooting guard Gary Harris, Serbian center Nikola Jokic and a future second-rounder, while sending Anthony Randolph to Chicago.

Some of us — OK maybe just one of us — are baffled by the Nurkic and Jokic picks? Why do the Nuggets need more centers? Why do they need guys that may never suit up in an NBA uniform? And after taking one, why did they need to go after another in the second round?

Harris, however, I applaud. Even with Arron Afflalo in the mix now, the more shooters, the better (see: San Antonio) and his perimeter defense will be huge for Denver.

But let’s take a look at what others are saying about the Nuggets’ draft haul:

Zach Lowe, Grantland:
“Denver turned one asset into two, which is a smart thing when you’re a solid team that would like to keep itself in the running for a franchise-shaking trade. Sure, you can wonder if the Nuggets would have made the Afflalo deal had they known Harris would have been available at no. 19, but they couldn’t have known, and Harris is going to be a rookie.

” … the odds are still against Denver winning two rounds in the West next season. It’s probably more likely the Nuggets miss the playoffs again than pull that kind of noise.”

Matt Moore, CBSSports.com:
Nurkic: “(Brian) Shaw needs a rim protector but this seems like a reach. He´s versatile, but they could have filled other needs. Grade: C-”

Nate Timmons, Denver Stiffs:
Nurkic: “Brian Shaw likes big men that can play with their back to the basket and play in the pick-and-pop. Nurkic can definitely play in the post and will be a load for defender to handle.”

Harris: “Harris is good enough to earn playing time right away. He will likely push (Randy) Foye for minutes and could make Foye expendable this season.”

Reid Forgrave, FoxSports.com:
“Great job by the Nuggets of parlaying one first-rounder into two. Nurkic is a skilled man-child who could do some damage inside and outside the paint. And Harris is an excellent two-way player. Grade: A-”

SB Nation:
“Nurkic is a huge center prospect who bruises opponents on the boards and can finish around the rim. He fouls and turns the ball over ton, so he might not be ready to play immediately, but he’s the second-best center prospect in the draft. The Nuggets will be happy grabbing him at 16. UPSIDE A · FIT B+ · IMMEDIATE IMPACT D”

“I want to say to my fans in Spain, Hola, I’m happy to be here,” he told the Nuggets’ official website. “This is perfecto, and I love this place, and it’s amazing just how they welcome me here and are excited about me being here, so gracias.”

But the Manimal’s fans back in Denver may find more delight in this clip posted on his Instagram account:

NBA players have a history of agreeing to some really bizarre photo shoots.

I would argue that Jason Kidd got things started with whatever he was doing here and here in 1992, and then here in 2000. But Kobe Bryant quickly surpassed him with this head-scratcher in 2010. And then, of course, there was Chris Paul on the trampoline in 2012, which was soon followed with this number by Dwyane Wade (why is she sitting on the hoop?). And we obviously can never forget the many athletic souls who opted to pose buck nekkid for ESPN’s The Body Issue (hi, Kenneth). Too much, guys. Too much.

(UPDATE: A smart reader pointed out that I had forgotten one NBA cover that … oy. Here, just look for yourself.)

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times.